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 Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 7:56 am
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Elibrie had never been so exhausted in all her life, and she knew she must look even worse than she felt - she could tell from the glances she caught, from the almost excessively gentle way people spoke to her, that it was clearly a matter of concern. The truth was, her currently distant look and slow way were deceiving, albeit unintentionally so; she was not a little broken thing, nor still in real danger of throwing Hers between, but she was so very tired that it affected the way she moved and spoke.
Though she'd woken several times in the night, Kesucianth had been there to comfort her, but even if she'd slept straight through, she'd have been almost as tired. Her emotions had steadied well enough once she had talked through them with the Mindhealer, and opened herself more fully to Kesucianth, enabling him to help her to his fullest abilities and vice versa. For he'd had a difficult time too, in his fear for her, and then being subjected to all of her trauma. It was an awful lot for a baby to deal with.
But while the very worst had passed, and she had ahold of herself, in the aftermath she was deeply tired in every way possible. That too would pass in time, but that time was not mid-morning of the very next day, as she dutifully scrubbed her beloved blue with slow, deliberate efforts. She was well aware that, tired as she was, it would be all too easy to miss a spot or overlook something, so she was determined to take all the time she needed to be thorough. If it took her longer than the other weyrlings, she wouldn't worry about it; all that mattered was that Kesucianth was well-tended (and he of course had no complaints about receiving such an especially thorough extended bathtime, besides).
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 2:40 pm
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"Dearheart, you won't get any cleaner if you splash around," Yunara said gently, watching her little queen with eyes that were already overly fond.
You don't mind, Ardoxshoth said, with every bit of certainty in her mind voice. To that, Yunara had to agree - of course she didn't mind, when her queen was having fun and playing around. She would only be so long, and she wanted Ardoxshoth to have a chance to be a baby like any other. If she made a mess, Yunara would just help her to clean it up.
But they were not alone now, assuming they'd ever been. Ardoxshoth glanced up, eyes whirling blue green at the sight of Kesucianth also receiving his bath. Hello, brother. I found where the bubbles are, she informed him, for Yunara had had to use a little soap today. Goodness knows what the little queen had gotten herself into at the Feast.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 3:25 pm
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Kesucianth had been very well aware of the proximity of one of his golden sisters; he could not be anything less, so mindful as he was of his natural superiors. But she had been busy with her own bath, and then with her splashing, and he had not dared take any of her attention from what was important to her at the time, even with a soft greeting.
So when she did bestow her presence upon him, he dipped his head low in deference. Had His not been so diligently tending every last spot upon him that might be more prone to problems than others, joints and under wings, he might have bowed, but he would not interrupt her careful ministrations. Hello, sister Ardoxshoth.
There are bubbles? I did not realize there were bubbles. And he honestly had not. He and His spent a great deal of time in each other's thoughts, even if those thoughts were often wordless, keeping as close together as possible for the sake of their young bond.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 4:38 pm
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I have bubbles, Ardoxshoth clarified, a certain possessive note to her mind voice. Yes, she had succeeded at bubbles. It was a very triumphant moment, and one that she was currently reveling in. If Kesucianth was very good, she might even share the bubbles with him. How she intended to accomplish that remained to be seen, but for the moment, Ardoxshoth was happy enough to splash away at the water.
"Sorry," Yunara said, when the baby splashed Elibrie. It was highly unlikely that her fellow weyrling had gotten through so much of Kesucianth's bath without getting wet, but all the same. "She's just ... well. She's having fun." Yunara didn't want to deprive her little queen of fun so early on. Ardoxshoth was young enough to still appreciate bubbles, and it was charming.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 5:32 pm
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Of course, Kesucianth agreed mildly, having had no interest in the bubbles aside from curiosity about their existence, of which he had been previously unaware. It would never enter his mind for even the briefest of moments to so much ask for anything that was his sister's even if he did desire it. Now, to play did look fun, but he was not quite ready yet, and would not rush His through a task that was important for the both of them.
"Oh, it's alright," she said to Yunara, looking up at the new goldrider with a small smile. "She should have her fun, and I'm wet already anyway." And cold perhaps, but she barely noticed.
And...so should Kesucianth. She felt a little stab of guilt, for it was something that had not occurred to her, as both she and her blue had been so utterly focused on everything they needed to do, on the seriousness of it all, that Kesucianth being a baby with baby things to do...well, this was the first either had thought of it. I'll be done soon, if you want to splash.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 5:48 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:57 pm
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It is still the same bath, he admitted, neither defensive nor critical of being asked, though he did believe it merited explanation. Mine must take her time, is all, as she is very tired today. And it is good for us to spend such time together. It was, in some ways, not about the scrubbing or the oiling, as important as those were.
"She was quite something at the Touching," Elibrie said carefully, without judgement for the bit of ruckus the gold-in-egg had caused in regards to knots and sandals. Elibrie had never touched the egg that had held Ardoxshoth and Damahath, but everyone had felt that influence when it stretched out. She was unsure how best to speak of Kesucianth, as he was clearly very different from his sister...and she could feel his faint unease as she considered it, so she asked more after the other pair. "Were you able to meet her then?"
There, that's the last of it, she told Kesucianth finally. The pale blue stretched his wings and surveyed what he could of her handiwork, sure to send her all his love and appreciation for her efforts.
We are done now, if you might wish more of my company. There was no assumption that she would, only an offer without expectation of acceptance - indeed, if she did not, he would merely sit with His while Theirs talked.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 8:58 pm
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Ah. Now that the little queen knew that Kesucianth had only taken one bath, it all made sense. Sort of. It was a long, long bath. His must be very tired indeed to take such a long bath. "Ardoxshoth, sometimes baths can take a long time," Yunara told her queen softly, stroking her eye ridge. Mine isn't as tired, she said, and splashed a little because even if she had been told it was not okay, she would have wanted to play.
Now Kesucianth seemed able to play, so play they must. Let's play with my bubbles, she told him, the soul of pure generosity. The baby queen splashed about, sending bubbles flying hither and thither. She didn't notice or care that others might view her as a hooligan - surely, if she was doing it, it was right and proper. The hatchling was young enough that she hadn't quite settled in her ways, just yet.
Yunara smiled slightly, thinking back on the Touching. "No... I believe I only touched Elipsath and Feidemeth's egg. The poor things were so upset that I couldn't leave them behind." Not that she'd realized that there were two babies in that egg, but still. "What did she do during the Touching?" the girl asked, suddenly curious. This was one thing Ardoxshoth had not yet told her.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:59 am
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I am glad she is not so tired as Mine, Kesucianth said sincerely. He did not begrudge that others did not have their struggles, instead being quite happy for them that they did not.
Invited to play with the bubbles - Ardoxshoth's bubbles - the pale blue accepted with a grateful dip of his head. Stepping closer to his sister and away from His, he looked back for a moment, wavering. He'd been all but glued to her side since Impressing, and though it was only a matter of several feet, it felt very far. But she nodded, encouraging him on, so he tried a tentative hop-and-splash. That was...yes, something about that was very satisfying. Like this?
His sister, of course, had both more experience and more authority in this matter than he, so he looked to her.
"That...to-do about knots and sandals," Elibrie answered after a moment, considering her phrasing carefully, "Started from her and Damahath's egg. I never touched theirs, but I did feel it." And, unsurprisingly, there had been quite a lot of talk about it and the rest of the Touching after.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:06 pm
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Whatever the reason might be for Kesucianth's to be tired, Ardoxshoth simply accepted that it was so. She did not ask why, for she was more interested in the here and now - and here and now, she wanted to play bubble splashing with her brother. Yes, just like that, she said, and then splashed in the bubbles herself. This time, she sent the bubbles flying so that they covered a larger area.
Yunara, who had gotten splashed by soapy water, brushed it out of her hair. "Oh. I think I remember something about that." Admittedly, she'd been a little distracted by how upset the sweet Sunshine egg had been, and she hadn't actually caught the incident in question first hand. She did remember that the Candidates had talked about the greedy egg after the fact, however. "That does sound like her... and probably not Damahath. Her twin isn't nearly so... well. Spirited."
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:35 am
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After watching his sister execute a much larger splash, Kesucianth attempted something a little more vigorous than his first go, though it was still not as imoressive - it was alright for Ardoxshoth to splash the girls, obviously, but would be very untoward of him to do the same! I do like this, he decided, It is very good! When the breeze caught some of the soapy bubbles and caused them to hang in there air just a little longer, he looked on with fascination.
Elibrie watched the pair with a smile. It was good to see her little blue enjoying himself, instead of worrying after her. "Mm," she replied after a few moments, coming back to the conversation at hand, "They're all very different, no doubt. Kesucianth is...a little quieter, but he's a good boy."
That was the very short way of putting it, but it was true. The blue wasn't shy by any means, but he was very composed. But under all the manners, he was sweet as pie. He seemed to have Opinions on some things, but everyone was entitled to those.
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 12:14 pm
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Delighted by her success with the bubbles, Ardoxshoth splashed again, this time away from their riders. Theirs only needed to get so wet, after all. It wasn't time for them to take a bath, the little queen had decided. The bubbles don't stay very long, but they are beautiful, she remarked, sending a couple of her own bubbles up into the air. She sat down on her haunches for a moment to watch them float away. Their rainbowed sheen reminded her of a dragon's eyes at the moment of Impression, and she'd seen several Impress. She was, she decided, very knowledgeable on the subject.
It was so nice to see her baby playing. Yunara was probably a little overly proud of the queen for actually sharing with her brother. It wasn't the gold's strongest suit, but she was clearly doing her very best. "He did seem so good at the Hatching. What a sweetheart." How could she help but see him in such a light? Even Ardoxshoth's favored Hybreoth had liked him. On the subject of Elibrie's and Hybreoth's relationship, it was best to be silent. "Ardoxshoth is learning how to share, though she's very resistant to it," Yunara confessed. It wasn't easy to convince the queen that it was anything but a waste of her time to do so.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 4:37 pm
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As a clump of bubbles floated past his nose, Kesucianth huffed out a breath that sent it drifting in a different direction, and hummed in satisfaction at this result. The splashing was nice, but so was watching the bubbles. They are very pretty, he agreed. Thank you for sharing them with me, sister.
Elibrie hesitated briefly at mention of the Hatching. It was a reminder not only of everything that had happened, but that everyone had seen it, which added an unconfortable element on top of what was already rather terrible...apart from Kesucianth, of course. "He is," she confirmed finally, looking fondly out at her blue and wishing he were close enough for her to stroke his head. "She looks like she's doing well enough, at least with the bubbles."
Sensing His' disquiet, Kesucianth wavered and looked to her. Did she need him? But she quickly reassured him, and he returned his attention to Ardoxshoth.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:30 pm
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It was true, she had done a very kind act. Ardoxshoth was more than pleased with herself as a result. Kesucianth seemed to be properly grateful for the opportunity, which put the queen in a good mood. Watching the bubbles was truly its own reward, she noted. They were opalescent, with beautiful rainbows reflected on their surfaces. Rather like dragon eyes at the moment of Impression, but Ardoxshoth could barely recall what her sibling's eyes had looked like then. She'd been a bit distracted herself.
You are welcome, she said, preening slightly. Had it not been a good idea? They also float very nicely. Indeed they did, as she could currently see. Glancing up, the infant queen blew at the bubbles, and they floated all the higher.
From Yunara's perspective, Elibrie had suddenly gone quiet. She couldn't figure out what had happened to cause it, as she didn't think there had been anything unusual about her remarks. Yet... something had happened, as she felt her dragon's dissatisfaction when Kesucianth ignored his sister for a moment, only to transfer his attentions back. Embarrassed that she had unknowingly been the source of a problem, and yet not sure what that problem might be, Yunara focused on what Elibrie said aloud.
"She's... well, she's wonderful. A handful, but a sweet one, at least to me." There was no telling what anyone else thought of her, though Yunara could well guess. Well, it didn't matter what they thought.
Are you quite finished? The bubbles won't wait. Reaching out, Ardoxshoth splashed the soapy water again, sending more bubbles up into the air. A flicker of red had joined the blue in the queen's gaze.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:56 am
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"I imagine she is wonderful. How could she not be?" So what if she had made a fuss about sandals and knots? Perhaps they were odd things to want, but she was a Queen, and entitled to want what she wanted. Elibrie, like many little girls, had grown up idolizing golds, long before she'd been a Candidate, and could hardly imagine so much as thinking poorly of one. Of course, for all her adoration, she'd always known she wasn't meant for one; she just wasn't that special. But she was enough for Kesucianth, and that was fine, though it had still barely registered with her that he was blue, which made her a bluerider, which was not terribly proper. They belonged to each other regardless, and she'd not trade him for the world. His color and what it might mean for them going forward were the very least of her worries. "I'm sure they all are, in their own ways."
Most of them. Probably even a certain bronze.
I am sorry, Kesucianth said guiltily, ducking his head in apologetic submission while yellow flickered through his eyes. I thought perhaps Mine needed me for something, but she is alright. She just had a sad thought. I can keep playing.
Hoping to make up for his moment of inattention, he splashed up a few more bubbles, some of which he proceeded to hop after and bop at with his nose.
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